A Step In The Good Direction
by Dion-Jade 25
Summary: A Saturday off from work for Larry will become one he will never forget. Will he and Balki get more than they bargained for? Note: This is just the first chapter so it doesn't exactly get into the plot just yet. Please read and comment. More to come!


Note: This is sort of like a fan fiction from the show Perfect Strangers. I don't know why I picked this show out of all shows to write about, but for reason I felt like it. (ha ha).

"**A Step in the Good Direction"**

It was an atypical Saturday afternoon in Chicago for 26 year old Larry Appleton. After having dinner and a movie with his girlfriend Jennifer Lyons the night before, he finally had the chance to sleep until noon without having to wake up to any last minute deadline articles that were usually due the following Monday. Being a investigative reporter for the _Chicago Chronicle_ newspaper wasn't an easy task; many of Larry's weekends were consumed with trying to finish up articles that his boss decided to put on his desk on a Friday afternoon. Sometimes the pressure got to Larry, but for the most part, he enjoyed what he was doing. It was the main reason that he moved to Chicago from Madison, Wisconsin and he definitely didn't see himself having any other career.

However the previous Friday at the Chicago Chronicle was unusually quiet: his boss was on vacation and news was slow. Larry welcomed the lethargy and left for the weekend without carrying his usual briefcase full of papers, quotes and leads that were in desperate need of being put together. He reasoned that if his boss decided to take a weeklong vacation, then surely he himself deserved AT LEAST a weekend off. Larry decided that he would spend time that weekend pampering himself and spending time with the people he loved. As he walked in the kitchen from his bedroom, he was greeted by his immigrant cousin Balki Bartakomous, who moved in with him after moving to America. Balki's living with Larry wasn't purposely planned however; Larry was 23, fresh out of college, and had just moved to Chicago trying to make a career out of photography and news. He was truly planning on enjoying (and get used to) living by himself after just moving out of a house full of eight siblings. However all of that was short lived because Balki knocked on his door in search of him. At first, Larry wasn't going to let Balki live with him-after all, he didn't know much about him except that he had moved to America from an unknown Mediterranean island called Mypos and that someone in his family had sent Balki to look for him. Also he didn't know how his straight-laced (sometimes neurotic) mindset would co-exist with Balki's care free, in- the- moment personality. In the end, he somehow connected to his distant cousin and allowed him to stay; perhaps it was because they were both on their own for the first time in life and needed of a shoulder to lean on. Either way it had been three years and the two cousins had grown close and became best friends, going through life's mishaps and changes together. They were truly "Perfect Strangers".

"Good Morning- I mean AFTERNOON cousin!!!!" Balki barked in his adorable Myposian (Greek like) accent, his short, straight brown hair combed neatly in place and wearing one of his signature vest, shirt and pants. Balki was quite attractive and had a clean shaven face, hazel-gray eyes, long eyelashes, gorgeous smile, and a nice physique. "Boy you sure can sleep!! I thought you were never gonna get up." Larry could only smile and shake his head. Larry was attractive, but more in an adorable way. His light green eyes, curly hair and full, clean shaven face made him look like a shorter, slightly older version of the actor Shia Lebeouf. "Balki, not everyone can get up at the crack of dawn every single day like you can. Besides it's only 12:15." "Only 12:15?!" Balki exclaimed. "Cousin, not only have you missed breakfast, but all of the Saturday morning cartoons!!!! You never miss your dose of Batman." Larry chuckled. His nearly 25 year old cousin reminded him of his younger siblings sometimes, always full of life and childlike energy. "I'm sure Batman got through whatever problem he had fine without me. Now if you don't mind, I'd like a cup of-" "One cup of coffee coming right up!" Balki finished for him as he poured coffee in Larry's favorite mug. "I figured you were gonna wake up sometime and I know how you can get when you don't have your dose of "the stuff". Larry gave his cousin a funny expression. "You know, after having a great time with Jennifer last time, getting some much needed sleep, and not having to worry about an article deadline, I don't need "the stuff", to put me in a good mood today." "Really? Are you sure about that cousin?" Balki asked with a skeptical glance. "Uh, yeah……. I'm pretty sure about what I'm feeling," Larry slowly answered as he took a sip of his coffee. Balki's skeptical glance turned into a worried expression. "Well this is a good time to tell you that….that…that….that I accidentally bleached one of your shirts." Larry had to contain himself from making his light green eyes large -which is what he usually did when he was encountering a situation. He swallowed his coffee and looked at his cousin. "Which…one?" he asked. "Um…. the red one." Balki answered before covering his face and looking away. Larry deeply exhaled and ran his fingers through his curly brown hair. "Balki, it's fine. It was an accident. I can find another red shirt." Balki uncovered his face and looked at his cousin. "That's it? No HOW THAT HAPPEN BALKI??" Larry shook his head "Nope. Things happen." "Wow cousin, you should go on a date, sleep in and not have work more often!" exclaimed Balki. "C'mon, I'm not really that type of guy. And besides, I'm going to have a relaxed weekend; one without stress or frustration." Larry declared. "Well slap me down and call me Tina! That's a good concept cousin. I think I'm gonna do the same thing. Midterms are over and I also have time to relax!" "Sounds good. You deserve it too." Larry agreed. Not only did Balki work with Larry at the Chronicle as the person in charge of all of the mail, but he was enrolled in college part time. Balki worked exceptionally hard, graduating valedictorian of his night school class; his American dream was slowly but surely coming true. Balki poured himself some coffee and plopped down next to cousin and put his feet up. "I'd like to make some toast," he mispronounced. "To our weekend- Hopefully we step into something good!" he smiled and nodded to Larry in satisfaction with his speech. Larry gave him a funny glance, expecting more. When Balki didn't say anything, he clanged his mug with him and said cheers. After channel surfing a bit, Larry grew tired of it. "How about we get out of here. It's a nice day, how bout we go for a run in the park or something. Then later on we should have dinner with Jennifer and Maryanne and do something afterwards" "Sounds good cousin," Balki agreed. "We should take them somewhere different and nice though, like Chez Peurrie. It should be really "happening" tonight." "Happening?" Larry asked. Balki laughed "Happening, live, da bomb, cool, crunk, they all mean the same thing." "Crunk? You have been watching too much MTV" Larry declared. "So how about it? Please cousin? I heard that Michael Jordan is a frequent guest there. Wouldn't it be cool, da bomb, live, crunk and happening to see him there?" "I'm sure Chez Peurrie is a nice restaurant with good food and all of that, but why would a multi-billion dollar ,semi-retired athlete with a million endorsements eat in a restaurant with a bunch of…..common people?" "Because he is human and has to eat too!" Balki answered simply. "And if he happens to be there, then I want him to sign my autobiograph." Larry shook his head. Compared to him, Balki always had a weird concept to life "It's autograph book," Larry corrected him. "And don't get your hopes up too high about him being there. I'll make reservations right now." After making reservations for that night at 7:00, and letting Jennifer and her best friend (and Balki's girlfriend) Maryanne know about their plans, the two guys made plans accordingly. Little did they know that Michael Jordan WOULD be there and they would indeed "Step into something good."

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
